Cookie Exchange

I love a homemade cookie! I can pass on an Oreo, Chips Ahoy or Pecan Sandie, but stick a homemade cookie (especially a good chocolate chip cookie) in front of my face and the next thing I know, I’m shoving it into my pie hole! That is why this time of year is a little rough on the waistline, but I’ve got January 1st around the corner where I can swear off sweets. Ha! Which is a joke, because it only lasts a week. Every year the ladies from my office do a cookie exchange, everyone brings a large batch (8-12 dozen) of cookies to share with everyone. We usually do a brunch with the cookie exchange but this year we did Happy Hour after we exchanged our cookies at the office. What could make me more happy than cookies and happy hour?!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix until combined; then add eggs and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2. In another medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture and mix on low until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons 1 inch part onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, switching position of pans halfway through baking, or until lightly browned but still soft in the center. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.

Dough minus the M & M’s

Here is the dough, ready to go to roll into balls for the cookie sheet. But, seriously, how good would it be to sit down with your best girlfriend and two spoons??! I love cookie dough almost more than I love cookies themselves. Are you with me?!

Cooling on wire racks

Santa worthy

The recipe above makes approximately 5 dozen cookies. I made 1.5x’s the recipe and ended up with 108 baked cookies and another dozen rolled dough balls in the freezer. I love freezing balls of cookie dough, they are perfect to pull out of the freezer when you are craving a warm freshly baked cookie, who doesn’t love that?!

Here is a plateful of some of the cookies from the cookie exchange.

Cookies!

Hand-dipped ginger molasses cookies, spiced nuts, candy cane cookies, coconut chocolate ball, Rolo turtles, Rudolph’s cousin and homemade fudge. There were even more cookies that didn’t make it onto this plate! I’ll be happy to share these cookies and of course, eat some myself!

Happy Holidays to all of you!!! Safe travels and have a wonderful time with family and friends! xoxoxo